MACK TAYLOR                  0451-SC_/#255
HOWDY DO SIR]  I SEES YOU A GOOD DEAL GOIN' BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS TO COLUMBIA.
 I HAS TO SET WAY BACK IN DE BUS AND YOU SETS UP TO DE BUS.  I CAN'T KETCH YOU T
O SPEAK TO YOU, AS YOU IS OUT AND GONE BEFO' I CAN LAY HOLD OF YOU.  BUT, AS BRE
R FOX 'LOWED TO BRER RABBIT, WHEN HE KETCHED HIM WID A TAR BABY AT A SPRING, I'
R FOX 'LOWED TO BRER RABBIT, WHEN HE KETCHED HIM WID A TAR BABY AT A SPRING, I I
S GOT YOU NOW.     I'S BEEN WANTIN' TO ASK YOU 'BOUT DIS OLD AGE PENSION.  I'S B
EEN TO WINSBORO TO SEE 'BOUT IT.  SOME NICE WHITE LADIES TOOK MY NAME AND ASK SO
ME QUESTIONS, BUT DAT SEEM TO BE DE LAST OF IT.  RECKON I GWINE TO GET ANYTHING?
    BWELL, I'S BEEN HERE MIGHTY NIGH A HUNDRED YEARS, AND JUS' 'CAUSE I PINCHED
AND SAVED AND DIDN'T THROW MY MONEY AWAY ON LIQUOR, OR PUT IT INTO DE PALMS OF E
VERY JEZABEL HUSSY DAT SLANT HER EYE AT ME, AIN'T NO VALUABLE REASON WHY THEM DA
T DID DAT WAY AND 'JOYED DEIRSELVES CAN GET DE PENSION AND ME CAN'T GET DE PENSI
ON.  TAIN'T FAIR]  NO, SIR,.  IF I HAD A KNOWED WAY BACK YONDER, FIFTY YEARS AGO
, WHAT I KNOWS NOW, I MIGHT OF GALLAVANTED 'ROUND A LITTLE MORE WID DE SHEMALES
THAN I DID.  WHAT YOU THINK 'BOUT IT?     YOU SAY I'S FORGITTIN' DAT RELIGION MU
ST BE THOUGHT ABOUT?  WELL, I CAN READ DE BIBLE A LITTLE BIT.  DON'T IT SAY:  WH
AT YOU SOW YOU SURE TO REAP?  YES, SIR.  US NIGGERS WAS FETCHED HERE 'GAINST OUR
 TASTE.  US FELL DE FORESTS FOR CORN, WHEAT, OATS, AND COTTON; DRAINED DE SWAMPS
 FOR RICE; BUILT DE DIRT ROADS AND DE RAILROADS; AND US OLD ONES IS GOT A FAIR R
IGHT TO OUR PART OF DE PENSION.     MY MARSTER, IN SLAVERY TIMES, LIVED ON DE WA
TEREE RIVER.  HE HAD A LARGE PLANTATION AND, I HEARD THEM SAY, FOUR HUNDRED SLAV
ES.  HE WAS A HARD MARSTER AND HAD ME WHIPPED AS MANY TIMES AS I GOT FINGERS AND
 TOES.  I STARTED WORKIN' IN DE FIELDS WHEN I WAS A BOY FIFTEEN YEARS OLD.  DE W
ORK I DONE WAS CHOPPIN' DE GRASS OUT OF DE COTTON AND PICKIN' DE COTTON.  WHAT'S
 BECOME OF THEM OLD ARMY WORMS DAT HAD HORNS, DAT US CHILLUN WAS SO SCARED OF WH
ILE PICKIN' COTTON?  I NEVER SEE THEM DESE DAYS BUT I'D RATHER HAVE THEM THAN DI
S BOLL WEEVIL I'S PESTERED WID.     MY MARSTER'S NAME WAS TOM CLARK.  MY MISTRES
S WAS A GENTLE LADY, BUT FIELD NIGGERS NEVER GOT TO SPEAK TO HER.  ALL I CAN SAY
 IS DAT DE HOUSE SLAVES SAY SHE WAS MIGHTY GOOD TO THEM.  I SAW DE CHILLUN OF DE
 WHITE FOLKS OFTEN AND WAS GLAD THEY WOULD PLAY WID US COLORED CHILLUN.  WHAT DE
IR NAMES? DERE WAS MARSE, ALLEY, MARSE OVID, MARSE HILLIARD, AND MISS LUCY.
OLD MARSTER GOT KILT IN DE LAST YEAR OF DE WAR, AND MISS MARGARET, DAT WAS OUR M
ISTRESS, RUN DE PLACE WID OVERSEERS DAT WOULD THRASH YOU FOR ALL SORTS OF THINGS
 .  IF THEY KETCH YOU LEANIN' ON YOUR HOE HANDLE, THEY'D BEAT YOU; STEP OUT OF Y
OUR TASK A MINUTE OR SPEAK TO A GIRL, THEY'D BEAT YOU.  OH] IT WAS HELL WHEN DE
OVERSEERS WAS AROUND AND DE MISTRESS NOR NONE OF DE YOUNG MARSTERS WAS DERE TO P
ROTECT YOU.  US WAS FED GOOD, BUT NOT CLOTHED SO GOOD IN DE WINTER TIME.     MY
PAPPY DIDN'T B'LONG TO DE CLARKS AT DE COMMENCEMENT OF DE WAR.  OLD MARSTER DONE
 SOLD HIM, 'WAY FROM US, TO COLONEL TOM TAYLOR IN COLUMBIA.  AFTER DE WAR, HE RU
N A SHOE REPAIR SHOP IN COLUMBIA MANY YEARS BEFO' HE DIED.  HIS NAME WAS DOUGLAS
 TAYLOR AND DAT IS DE REASON I TOOK DE NAME, MACK TAYLOR, WHEN I GIVE IN MY NAME
 TO DE FREEDMAN'S BUREAU, AND I'S STUCK TO IT EVER SINCE.    I MEMBERS DE YANKEE
S.  NOT MANY OF THEM COME TO MISS MARGARET'S PLACE.  THEM DAT DID, TOOK PITY ON
HER AND DID NOTHING BUT AET, FEED DEIR HORSES, AND GALLOP AWAY.     US WAS NEVER
 PESTERED BY DE KU KLUX, BUT I WAS GIVEN A WARNIN' ONCE, TO WATCH MY STEP AND VO
TE RIGHT.  I WATCHED MY STEP AND DIDN'T VOTE A-TALL, DAT YEAR.     MISTER FRANKL
IN J MOSES WAS RUNNIN' FOR GOVERNOR.  COLORED PREACHERS WAS PREACHIN' DAT HE WAS
 DE MOSES TO LEAD DE NIGROES OUT OF DE WILDERNESS OF CORN BREAD AND FAT GREASE I
NTO DE LAND OF WHITE BREAD AND NEW ORLEANS MOLLASSES.  DE PREACHERS SURE GOT UP
DE EXCITEMENT (MONGST DE COLORED WOMEN FOLKS.  THEY 'VISED THEM TO HAVE NOTHIN'
TO DO WID DEIR HUSBANDS IF THEY DIDN'T GO TO DE 'LECTION BOX AND VOTE FOR MOSES.
  I DIDN'T GO, AND MY WIFE WOULDN'T SLEEP WID ME FOR SIX MONTHS.  I HAD NO CHILL
UN BY HER.  SHE DIED IN 1874.  AFTER NANCY DIED, I MARRY BELLE DAWKINS.  DE CHIL
LUN US HAD WAS GEORGE, CHARLEY, MAGGIE AND TOMMY.  THEN BELLE DIED, AND I MARRIE
D HANNAH CUNNINGHAM.  US HAD NO CHILLUN.  AFTER SHE DIED, I MARRY A WIDOW, FANNI
E GOINGS, AND US HAD NO CHILLUN.     MY SON, GEORGE, IS IN WASHINGTON.  MY DAUGH
TER, MAGGIE, IS DEAD.  TOMMY WAS IN OHIO DE LAST I HEARD FROM HIM.  I IS LIVIN'
WID MY SON, CHARLEY, ON MY FARM.  MY GRANDSON, MACK, IS A GROWN BOY AND DE MAIN
STAFF I LEAN ON AS  I CLIMB UP TO DE HUNDRED MILE POST OF AGE.     I B'LONG TO D
E REOVAH BAPTIST CHURCH.  I HAVE LAID AWAY FOUR WIVES IN DEIR GRAVES.  I HAVE NO
 NOTION OF MARRYIN' ANY MORE.  GOODNESS AND MERCY HAVE FOLLOWED ME ALL DE DAYS O
F MY LIFE, AND I WILL SOON TAKE UP DIS OLD BODY AND DWELL IN DE HOUSE OF DE LORD
 FOREVERMORE.
  X   XXX